1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of integrated circuits and methods for the recording and playback of analog signals.
2. Related Applications
The present application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 588,949, filed Sep. 26, 1990 and entitled Integrated Circuit System and Method for Analog Signal Recording and Playback.
3. Prior Art
A single record/playback device has a record capacity that is, for a certain set of conditions, fixed in duration. In the case of solid state recorders the duration is determined by the number of storage elements or, such as in the case of a digital memory, the number of groups of elements (words). Given a fixed recording density, as determined by the recording technique and the information being recorded, the way to increase storage capacity is to increase the number of storage elements. Existing solid state system designs which have the ability to expand storage capacity in this manner are composed of at least two different types of circuits within a given system. The first type performs the encoding and decoding, or writing into and reading from memory devices of the second type. IN order to expand capacity, additional memory devices are added. In such a system, the first type of circuit is able to direct the writing and reading of stored information to and from any of the memory devices in a controlled manner.